1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to feminine hygienic tampons having strings attached thereto for withdrawal. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for attaching an accessory or tab to the string to facilitate locating and preventing dislocation of the tampon string.
2. General Background
The tampon industry estimates that on average a women will use 11,400 tampons in her lifetime. Many of these tampon users are young, highly active women who become so accustomed to the presence of the tampon that they literally forget it is in place. Tampons are generally provided with a string which extends outside the vagina to assist in removal of the tampon from the body cavity. This string generally comprises a string looped around a portion of the tampon in a manner which produces a pair of string ends knotted together at their free end. Therefore, due to frictional migration and the expansion and contraction of the vagina, especially during physical activity, the tampon can get lodged near the back of the vagina or rotated in such a manner that the string is withdrawn into the vagina cavity. Since the string is not easily visible and not capable of being felt, women often forget to change the tampon every 4-6 hours as recommended by the manufacturer. On occasion some women forget and accidentally insert a new tampon without removing the previous one. Such action leads to serious complication. Some women who are not familiar with their bodies sometimes panic, fearing that the tampon is lost and that perhaps surgery will be required to retrieve the tampon. It is estimated that each gynecologist experiences the need to retrieve lost tampons an average of twice per month. Therefore, this is serious problem affecting thousands of women nationally every year. Tampons which are not removed regularly provide a breeding ground for staphylococcus Aureus, a bacterium which leads to a number of serious medical problems, such as toxic shock syndrome.
The tampon string is also a problem during urination. Most women, assuming they remember the tampon string at all, have a preference as to the question of whether to try and locate the short string or simply urinate on it thus leaving the string wet and subject to bacterial infection. Most tampon manufacturers provide a relatively short, string usually less than three inches, making the movement of the string to a position out of the way during urination an awkward maneuver at best, thus it is simply easier to wet the string. Since most tampon strings are made of cotton, they absorb moisture readily and thus further provide a breeding ground for infectious bacteria. To make matters worse, women seldom wash their hands in public rest rooms. This phobia makes them reluctant to search for and handle the short, often moist, tampon string.
It is therefore evident that the above problems need to be addressed in a manner which will allow women to retrieve a tampon more readily and become more aware of its presence.